Grenades
Grenades are high-explosive weapons issued to infantry in the Gallian and Imperial armies. Several types are available. Information Grenades are high-explosive blast damage weapons which can be used by infantry to attack dug-in infantry, as well as to destroy light fortifications and weak walls. The explosive filler is apparently a Ragnite derivative. Hand grenades are carried by all infantry classes except Lancers, Snipers and the Town Watchman pseudo-class. In addition, Elite-level Scouts gain the ability to use rifle grenade launchers. Anti-infantry mortar-lances, the mortar weapons of tanks and fixed mortars all work similarly to grenades, though they have far greater range and are much more powerful. Gallian Grenades 'B-Type Grenade' *Type: Hand Grenade *Length: 300mm *Diameter:80mm *Payload: 422g *Weight: 720g A wooden handle extends from this simple can-type explosive, made from a powdered Ragnite mix that emits a characteristic blue glow upon detonation. It uses a friction-based fuse system in which the user first removes the safety cap at the handle's end, then pulls the internal ripcord to spark the fuse. Because the bomb detonates a few seconds after the fuse is ignited, requiring the user to swiftly throw it then seek cover from the blast, its operation requires some degree of safety training. Models *B-Type Grenade M1 *B-Type Grenade M2 *B-Type Grenade M3 *B-Type Grenade M4 *B-Type Grenade M5 'Randgrizer M' *Type: Rifle Grenade *Length: 220mm *Barrel Length: ---mm *Caliber: 24mm, 1 shot *Weight: 422g A launching device developed as a way to propel hand grenades greater distances. Early designs that had grenades loaded directly into the gun's muzzle prevented conventional firing, and the recoil from the grenades often bent the barrel. The solution came in the form of this under-barrel type, which allowed users to fire the rifle and grenade independently. Built to be the crowning glory of the Gallian-type rifles it affixed to, these grenades were named after Gallia's capital. Models *Randgrizer M1 *Randgrizer M2 *Randgrizer M3 *Randgrizer M4 *Randgrizer M5 Note: The Randgrizer M is upgraded whenever a B-Type Grenade upgrade is bought. Imperial Grenades 'VB WF' *Type: Hand Grenade *Length: 286mm *Diameter:71mm *Payload: 363g *Weight: 680g Similar in basic construction to those used elsewhere, this friction-fuse hand grenade is the official standard within the Imperial army. Though the time delay until detonation can be adjusted via the dial or screw on the side of the device, most users were hesitant to deviate from the timing that had been drilled into them in training. 'VB GGG' *Type: Rifle Grenade *Length: 210mm *Barrel Length: ---mm *Caliber: 20mm, 1 shot *Weight: 410g Developed in the Empire based on combat data from EW1, this widely used grenade launcher fit under the muzzles of most Imperial-issue rifles. Replacing the grenade's handle with a shell casing and launching it meant one less item for field units to carry, and they saw considerable use both against personnel and lightly armored vehicle targets. In game Grenades are a weapon with limited ammunition; Scouts and Shock Troopers carry one hand grenade, while Engineers carry three. Elite Scouts still only have one grenade, they just have a choice of whether to throw it or fire it out of their launcher. Grenades are subject to the usual rules for weapons with limited ammunition; one is restored per turn outside of a friendly base, and all the current stock if in a base area or replenished by an Engineer. Seemingly for game balance reasons, Engineers cannot replenish their own stock of hand grenades; a second Engineer is needed to do so. Using a grenade, as with any arcing weapon, brings up a white aiming line instead of the usual crosshair, with the stick used to adjust aim; up and down adjust the length of the arc. It's worth noting this represents where the soldier is trying to throw the grenade, not where it is guaranteed to land; a degree of caution is needed to avoid missing or having the soldier blow themselves up with their own grenade. The grenade will bounce or roll around for a while before detonating; it takes some practice to get used to this behaviour and account for it in throws. Hand grenades ignore cover and also throw infantry outwards from the centre of the blast; this can be used to hurl enemies out of cover to allow the use of headshots, throw defending troops out of interception fire range to allow a friendly unit to move by, or to push tough enemies away from a guarded base flag to allow its capture (it doesn't matter if they survive, as long as they're outside the immediate area of a flag it counts as unguarded). Grenades will deal damage to friendly units, including the unit throwing them, and can hurl friendlies around too. While this could concievably be used to force a unit into cover when it ended its turn in range of a dangerous enemy, it's hard to think of a scenario where this would be a remotely good idea. Speedrunning techniques sometimes use carefully-thrown grenades to hurl friendly units over impassible barriers or up to higher terrain; this allows extremely fast completion of certain levels. In addition to their ability to throw infantry out of cover, grenades can also be used to attack the cover itself; a single grenade will demolish light cover like a sandbag wall, as well as obstacles such as crates and metal tank traps. Some scenery objects are also able to be destroyed with grenades; partially-destroyed walls are a good example, though it can be a matter of trial and error to determine whether a specific wall is destroyable or not. Destroying obstructions will often allow infantry new movement options. One tactic that becomes important at higher levels is using grenades to destroy cover without alerting enemies hiding behind it. As long as they take no damage from the grenade blast, enemies will stand up but not turn to face the thrower, allowing them to be headshot from behind without a cover bonus. Enemies ducked in grass will also stand up if hit by a grenade; grenades also can't be responded to with a counter-attack, and this is a very useful tactic throughout the game. As a blast damage weapon, grenades are less effective against enemies with resistance to blast damage, such as Lancers or fixed anti-tank guns. The Hand Grenade has a fixed range of 90 with a minimum range of 0; this is relatively short, and often requires the unit throwing the grenade be exposed to fire. The Randgrizer, on the other hand, has a maximum range of 250, but the high arc means it has an enforced minimum range similar to the maximum range of a regular grenade; short of firing it into a wall and having it land at the user's feet, it can't land close by. While theoretically it can be used for indirect fire, this can be tricky to set up in practice since if something is obscuring the target it isn't possible to see where the aim line touches the ground. Trivia * Both armies' grenades are based on the infamous Model 24 Stielhandgranate, with the exact same method of operation (unscrewing the base cap and pulling the cord). The B-Type has a much larger warhead, similar in shape to the head of a Panzerfaust anti-tank weapon. * The Randgrizer and VB GGG launchers' locations, under the barrel instead of at the muzzle, are based on a launcher for the M16 made by Brunswick Corporation called the Rifleman's Assault Weapon (RAW), which was adopted on a limited basis by the US Marines in the 1990s. The Valkyria Chronicles launchers are missing any type of ignition system or trigger; presumably this is because the real launcher is triggered by firing a normal round and the player might question where said round ended up. However, the long, slender shape of the launchers is more reminesent of the common M203, the almost sterotypical grenade launcher. * Real life, period rifle grenade launchers were mounted on the end (as opposed to under) the barrel; either using a specialised launching cup, or simply fitting over the weapon's muzzle, which generally had to be made for this purpose. Usually, they required the use of specialised grenade blank rounds rather than live ammunition, making it hard to use such launchers on semi-automatic weapons. From notes on the design of the Randgrizer and VB GGG, it is stated that the in-universe designers actually attempted to create such a launcher, however put it under the barrel due to problems with recoil damaging the weapon. 735px-M24_1.JPG|Model 24 Stielhandgranate. Brunswick-Riflemans-Assault-Weapon-3.jpg|Brunswick RAW launcher. Category:Articles needing images Category:Items Category:Weapons